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Disabled sue state for care PORTLAND (AP) - Advocates for the disabled filed a federal lawsuit that they say could help frustrated families hoping for relief in caring for severely disabled relatives. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of six developmentally disabled and mentally retarded Oregonians, aims to force the state to pay for residential and intensive in-home programs as required under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Filed by the Oregon Advocacy Center and Legal Aid Services of Oregon on Friday in U.S. District Court, the suit names Gov. John Kitzhaber, Gary Weeks, director of the Oregon Department of Human Resources, and the Human Resources department. ``The only way you get services is when you're in crisis,'' said Kathleen L. Wilde, a lawyer for the Oregon Advocacy Center. ``When the parents die and suddenly there's no care, that's when the money is used.'' Of the more than 4,000 developmentally disabled and mentally retarded people in Oregon who are on waiting lists, 2,600 need 24-hour, residential care, Wilde said. About 3,700 Oregonians are in state-funded, 24-hour residential care programs, said James Toews, assistant administrator for developmental disability services. Another 2,000 receive in-home respite care and counseling, and 4,300 are in employment and job-training programs. The state's annual budget for the developmentally disabled is $320 million. Visit our back issue library Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Western Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Corvallis Gazette-Times | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | | Ashland Daily Tidings | Gresham Outlook | Springfield News | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 1997, 1998, 1999 Lee Northwest Publishing